Yogi Des' Pay What You Can Yoga Studio
Donation protected
My name is Desirae Penton, former owner of Hidden Dragon Yoga Studio. I’m asking you to contribute to this fundraiser so I can open a new yoga studio: Dragon Yoga. (The Dragon isn’t Hidden anymore!) My old studio had seven great years but it didn’t survive the COVID shutdown. With your help, we can start again and make it even better. The new studio has a mission: we will make yoga accessible to everyone. Yoga isn’t just for people with a high income or a certain background. Instead, we’ll open our doors to the entire community by offering yoga through a “pay what you can” structure. That’s right: At Dragon Yoga, money will never be a barrier for our students.
This has been my dream for years. It’s my calling to bring the benefits of yoga to as many people as possible. We'll be the only “pay what you can” studio in OKC. We still have to pay the rent and keep the lights on, but the purpose of a yoga studio is not to become a profit machine. Yoga makes us stronger on our mats and in the rest of our lives. We become healthier, calmer, more open-minded, and we learn to do things that we thought we never could do. I love seeing what yoga has done for my students, and I’m so excited to bring it to as many people as I can.
At our new studio, money won’t be a barrier, and we’ll tear down other walls, too. Recently, many of us have become more aware of the divisions and struggles that still hurt our country. Dragon Yoga doesn’t have a home yet, but that doesn’t stop us from helping: We’ve been borrowing spaces to hold fundraisers every week, including for Black Lives Matter and other local Non-Profit Organizations. Dragon Yoga will welcome every human, regardless of income, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other false divisions. At Dragon Yoga, we can all be ourselves and flow together.
Why do we need a fundraiser to open a new studio? I fought to keep the old studio open until the very end. It took everything I had, and I’ll be honest: there’s nothing left. I didn’t know what to do next, but now the universe has given me a chance. A longtime friend has offered me a space to create a new studio with affordable rent at a great location (Western & 44th), but we need to come up with the money to finish the space. We’re using all of our resources and asking our friends for help with the labor, but there’s no way around paying for materials (Estimated to be around $8,000).
So that’s what I’m asking from you: Please help us build a studio that will be a home for anyone who needs yoga in their life. Take a moment to think about what yoga has done for you, and what it can still do as you grow in your practice. Now think about all of the people who haven’t had that opportunity. Dragon Yoga is for you, and for them.
One last thing: Thank you! Thank you for reading this message. Thank you for supporting me when I had a brick-and-mortar studio. Thank you for practicing with me in the park after I lost my studio. Thank you for coming to my fundraisers to support causes that make our city and our country better. Thank you for supporting me during this difficult time, thank you for checking on me and sending texts and emails to show your love. I look forward to having a new home soon, and I look forward to moving and breathing and meditating together again.
Blessings & Love,
Desirae Penton
This has been my dream for years. It’s my calling to bring the benefits of yoga to as many people as possible. We'll be the only “pay what you can” studio in OKC. We still have to pay the rent and keep the lights on, but the purpose of a yoga studio is not to become a profit machine. Yoga makes us stronger on our mats and in the rest of our lives. We become healthier, calmer, more open-minded, and we learn to do things that we thought we never could do. I love seeing what yoga has done for my students, and I’m so excited to bring it to as many people as I can.
At our new studio, money won’t be a barrier, and we’ll tear down other walls, too. Recently, many of us have become more aware of the divisions and struggles that still hurt our country. Dragon Yoga doesn’t have a home yet, but that doesn’t stop us from helping: We’ve been borrowing spaces to hold fundraisers every week, including for Black Lives Matter and other local Non-Profit Organizations. Dragon Yoga will welcome every human, regardless of income, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other false divisions. At Dragon Yoga, we can all be ourselves and flow together.
Why do we need a fundraiser to open a new studio? I fought to keep the old studio open until the very end. It took everything I had, and I’ll be honest: there’s nothing left. I didn’t know what to do next, but now the universe has given me a chance. A longtime friend has offered me a space to create a new studio with affordable rent at a great location (Western & 44th), but we need to come up with the money to finish the space. We’re using all of our resources and asking our friends for help with the labor, but there’s no way around paying for materials (Estimated to be around $8,000).
So that’s what I’m asking from you: Please help us build a studio that will be a home for anyone who needs yoga in their life. Take a moment to think about what yoga has done for you, and what it can still do as you grow in your practice. Now think about all of the people who haven’t had that opportunity. Dragon Yoga is for you, and for them.
One last thing: Thank you! Thank you for reading this message. Thank you for supporting me when I had a brick-and-mortar studio. Thank you for practicing with me in the park after I lost my studio. Thank you for coming to my fundraisers to support causes that make our city and our country better. Thank you for supporting me during this difficult time, thank you for checking on me and sending texts and emails to show your love. I look forward to having a new home soon, and I look forward to moving and breathing and meditating together again.
Blessings & Love,
Desirae Penton
Fundraising team: Dragon Yoga Studio & Desirae P. (2)
Yogi Des
Organizer
Oklahoma City, OK
Ariellyn Marie
Team member
